Kenya’s top brass attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York found themselves trending for all the wrong reasons after a video surfaced showing them snacking mid-session.
The delegation among them Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, Health CS Aden Duale, Lands CS Alice Wahome, Mining CS Hassan Joho, and ICT’s William Kabogo appeared on camera cracking what looked like peanuts and casually popping them into their mouths as President William Ruto addressed the forum.
The timing of the light-hearted indulgence couldn’t have been more awkward: Africa’s long-running demand for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council was under discussion.
The clip, now widely shared online, has divided opinion. Some Kenyans dismissed it as a harmless human moment, while others fumed over what they viewed as a lack of decorum at an event of such global weight.
“That’s actually poetic. I’m sure they have no idea what’s really going on over there, not even Prime CS Mudavadi, who appears to be attentive,” one online user remarked. Another quipped, “Nothing screams ‘Kenya means business’ like Ruto’s squad turning a global podium into a snack table.”
The controversy has also reignited debate over President Ruto’s earlier calls for etiquette training among government officials. Back in September 2022, the Head of State urged members of his Kenya Kwanza coalition to polish their public conduct including dining manners to avoid embarrassment on the global stage.
For critics, the UNGA snack moment was exactly the kind of faux pas Ruto had warned about.
